{"id":133061,"date":"2026-09-14T11:50:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/?p=133061"},"modified":"2026-09-15T05:52:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:52:49","slug":"lincolndale-drain-stormwater-improvement-phase-ii-ground-breaking-held","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2026\/09\/14\/lincolndale-drain-stormwater-improvement-phase-ii-ground-breaking-held\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincolndale Drain Stormwater Improvement Phase II ground breaking held"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today, Fort Wayne City Utilities and area businesses broke ground on Phase II of a multiphase stormwater improvement along the Lincolndale Drain corridor.<\/p>\n

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Fort Wayne City Utilities news release:<\/p>\n

Lincolndale Drain Work Makes Room for Rain<\/strong>
\nPhase II to reduce chronic flooding, protect waterways to Lake Erie<\/em><\/p>\n

Fort Wayne, Indiana (September 14, 2026) \u2014 City Utilities and area businesses today broke ground on Phase II of a multiphase stormwater improvement along the Lincolndale Drain corridor. The effort is designed to reduce chronic flooding, improve local waterways and protect and increase habitat.<\/p>\n

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Flooding in the Lincolndale Drain area. Photo courtesy of Fort Wayne City Utilities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This phase will create a two-acre wetland and restore 740 feet of the drain, increasing stormwater storage and improving flow in an area that has experienced repeated flooding during heavy rain.<\/p>\n

Lincolndale Drain begins in a residential neighborhood and flows through wooded, commercial and industrial areas. The Phase II project site is located between Executive [Boulevard] and Investment Drive in the Interstate Industrial Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cNearby businesses and motorists have seen the effects of chronic flooding when heavy rain overwhelms the drain,\u201d said Anne Marie Smrchek, P.E., Manager of City Utilities Stormwater Engineering. \u201cThis phase will provide much-needed storage and improve how stormwater moves through the corridor. It is an important step \u2014 but not the last \u2014 in our continuing work along Lincolndale Drain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lincolndale Drain project is one of 50 major stormwater improvement projects City Utilities plans to undertake during the next five years.<\/p>\n

A $300,000 grant from the Great Lakes Commission\u2019s Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program covers approximately 40% of the $746,921 Phase II project. The City Utilities stormwater budget covers the remaining funding.<\/p>\n

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Flooding in the Lincolndale Drain area. Photo courtesy of Fort Wayne City Utilities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe waterways of the Great Lakes basin are deeply connected, and improvements made here in Fort Wayne provide benefits all the way downstream to Lake Erie,\u201d said Connor Roessler of the Great Lakes Commission. \u201cThe Great Lakes Commission is pleased to support this project with funding through the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program, which will use wetlands and stream restoration to reduce erosion and pollution, improve habitat and help alleviate chronic flooding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wetland will serve a 275-acre drainage area and is expected to capture or treat more than 11.5 million gallons of stormwater runoff annually. The project will also:<\/p>\n